In the Community
April 19, 2012
Kaiser Permanente Kicks off The Weight of the Nation Screenings with Colorado Event
Colorado is known as one of the fittest of the 50 states for adults, but it now faces one of the fastest growing childhood obesity rates in the country. To address this concern, HBO (Home Box Office) and Kaiser Permanente Colorado hosted the Colorado premiere of The Weight of the Nation on Monday, April 16 at the Cable Center, on the University of Denver campus. The screening is the first of more than 20 that Kaiser Permanente will host nationwide.
The evening kicked off with a health expo, where various community organizations provided tips on healthy eating, activities and samples of smart food choices. Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Programs entertained the crowd with their interactive game show, “It’s Your Health” and LiveWell Colorado encouraged people to step up to their booth for a chance to test their health knowledge and win prizes.
Attendees were invited for a special screening of the fourth film in The Weight of the Nation series, “Challenges.” The film takes a look at the obesity epidemic from every angle: agriculture, economics, evolutionary biology, food marketing, racial and socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity, American food culture and the power of industry.
Kaiser Permanente has joined with HBO, the Institute of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to launch The Weight of the Nation, one of the nation’s largest public health campaigns on obesity to date.
The Weight of the Nation series debuts on May 14, exclusively on HBO, and is comprised of four documentary films, a three-part HBO Family series, 14 bonus shorts, a social media campaign, a book published by St. Martin’s Press and a nationwide community-based outreach campaign. Further information on the series can be found at theweightofthenation.hbo.com.
Following the Colorado screening, the public had the opportunity to “Weigh-In on the Weight of Colorado” during a town-hall style discussion with local experts:
Moderator
- Jandel Allen-Davis, MD: vice president of Government and External Relations, Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Panelists
- Chris Urbina, MD, MPH: executive director and chief medical officer, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- Eric France, MD: chief of prevention, Kaiser Permanente Colorado
- Paul Lopez: Denver City Council (District 3)
The discussion was also available to folks at home through Livestreaming. Watch the full town hall presentation at http://new.livestream.com/cdphepsd/weightofco/.
The Weight of the Nation event in Denver was made possible with the help of LiveWell Colorado, the Colorado Health Foundation and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Other participants included Health and Human Services, Denver Public Schools’ Food and Nutrition Services Department, Cooking Matters, Denver B-Cycle, American Diabetes Association, Smart Meals, Children’s Colorado, Hunger Free Colorado, Weigh and Win, Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon, Colorado Fresh Market, American Lung Association, Kaiser Permanente Moonlight Classic, Kaiser Permanente Centers for Complementary Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Community Wellness and the American Heart Association.
Kaiser Permanente brings together its clinical expertise, research capabilities and community engagement efforts to combat childhood obesity and to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves. The organization’s Community Health Initiatives for Healthy Eating Active Living support more than 40 obesity prevention collaboratives. For more information, visit www.kp.org/communitybenefit.
